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Free Will Astrology, Week Of August 31

ARIES (March 21-April 19): "Excess is the common substitute for energy," said poet Marianne Moore. That's a problem you should watch out for in the coming weeks. According to my astrological projections, you're a bit less lively and dynamic than usual. And you may be tempted to compensate by engaging in extreme behavior or resorting to a contrived show of force. Please don't! A better strategy would be to recharge your power. Lay low and take extra good care of yourself. Get high-quality food, sleep, entertainment, art, love, and relaxation.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): For a pregnant woman, the fetus often begins to move for the first time during the fifth month of gestation. The sensation may resemble popcorn popping or a butterfly fluttering. It's small but dramatic: the distinct evidence that a live creature is growing inside her. Even if you are not literally expecting a baby, and even if you are male, I suspect you will soon feel the metaphorical equivalent of a fetus's first kicks. You're not ready to give birth yet, of course, but you are well on your way to generating a new creation.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): "Since U Been Gone" is a pop song recorded by vocalist Kelly Clarkson. She won a Grammy for it, and made a lot of money from its sales. But two other singers turned down the chance to make it their own before Clarkson got her shot. The people who wrote the tune offered it first to Pink and then to Hillary Duff, but neither accepted. Don't be like those two singers, Gemini. Be like Clarkson. Recognize opportunities when they are presented to you, even if they are in disguise or partially cloaked.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): "Going with the flow" sounds easy and relaxing, but here's another side of the truth: Sometimes it can kick your ass. The rippling current you're floating on may swell up into a boisterous wave. The surge of the stream might get so hard and fast that your ride becomes more spirited than you anticipated. And yet I still think that going with the flow is your best strategy in the coming weeks. It will eventually deliver you to where you need to go, even if there are bouncy surprises along the way.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): "Money doesn't make you happy," said movie star and ex-California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. "I now have $50 million, but I was just as happy when I had $48 million." Despite his avowal, I'm guessing that extra money would indeed make you at least somewhat happier. And the good news is that the coming months will be prime time for you to boost your economic fortunes. Your ability to attract good financial luck will be greater than usual, and it will zoom even higher if you focus on getting better educated and organized about how to bring more wealth your way.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): "I stand up next to a mountain, and I chop it down with the edge of my hand." So sang Jimi Hendrix in his raucous psychedelic tune "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)." We could view his statement as an example of delusional grandiosity, and dismiss it as meaningless. Or we could say it's a funny and brash boast that Hendrix made as he imagined himself to be a mythic hero capable of unlikely feats. For the purposes of this horoscope, let's go with the latter interpretation. I encourage you to dream up a slew of extravagant brags about the outlandish magic powers you have at your disposal. I bet it will rouse hidden reserves of energy that will enhance your more practical powers.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): It's the phase of your cycle when you have maximum power to transform yourself. If you work hard to rectify and purify your inner life, you will be able to generate a transcendent release. Moreover, you may tap into previously dormant or inaccessible aspects of your soul's code. Here are some tips on how to fully activate this magic. 1. Without any ambivalence, banish ghosts that are more trouble than they are worth. 2. Identify the one bad habit you most want to dissolve, and replace it with a good habit. 3. Forgive everyone, including yourself. 4. Play a joke on your fear. 5. Discard or give away material objects that no longer have any meaning or use.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): I hope you're not getting bored with all of the good news I have been delivering in recent weeks. I'm sorry if I sound like I'm sugarcoating or whitewashing, but I swear I'm simply reporting the truth about the cosmic omens. Your karma is extra sweet these days. You do have a few obstacles, but they are weaker than usual. So I'm afraid you will have to tolerate my rosy prophecies for a while longer. Stop reading now if you can't bear to receive a few more buoyant beams. This is your last warning! Your web of allies is getting more resilient and interesting. You're expressing just the right mix of wise selfishness and enlightened helpfulness. As your influence increases, you are becoming even more responsible about wielding it.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): When 16th-century Spanish invaders arrived in the land of the Mayans, they found a civilization that was in many ways highly advanced. The native people had a superior medical system and calendar. They built impressive cities with sophisticated architecture and paved roads. They were prolific artists, and had a profound understanding of mathematics and astronomy. And yet they did not make or use wheeled vehicles, which had been common in much of the rest of the world for over 2,000 years. I see a certain similarity between this odd disjunction and your life. Although you're mostly competent and authoritative, you are neglecting to employ a certain resource that would enhance your competence and authority even further. Fix this oversight!

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): If you have ever fantasized about taking a pilgrimage to a wild frontier or sacred sanctuary or your ancestral homeland, the next ten months will be an excellent time to do it. And the best time to plan such an adventure will be the coming two weeks. Keep the following questions in mind as you brainstorm. 1. What are your life's greatest mysteries, and what sort of journey might bring an awakening that clarifies them? 2. Where could you go in order to clarify the curious yearnings that you have never fully understood? 3. What power spot on planet Earth might activate the changes you most want to make in your life?

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): When he died at the age of 77 in 1905, Aquarian author Jules Verne had published 54 books. You've probably heard of his science fiction novels *Journey to the Center of the Earth* and *Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.* He was a major influence on numerous writers, including Jean-Paul Sartre, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Arthur Rimbaud. But one of his manuscripts never made it into book form. When he finished it in 1863, his publisher refused to publish it, so Verne stashed it in a safe. It remained there until his great-grandson discovered it in 1989. Five years later, Verne's "lost novel," *Paris in the Twentieth Century,* went on sale for the first time. I suspect that in the coming months, you may have a comparable experience, Aquarius. An old dream that was lost or never fulfilled may be available for recovery and resuscitation.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): "I enjoy using the comedy technique of self-deprecation," says stand-up comic Arnold Brown, "but I'm not very good at it." Your task in the coming weeks, Pisces, is to undermine your own skills at self-deprecation. You may think they are too strong and entrenched to undo and unlearn, but I don't — especially now, when the cosmic forces are conspiring to prove to you how beautiful you are. Cooperate with those cosmic forces! Exploit the advantages they are providing. Inundate yourself with approval, praise, and naked flattery.